Prepared roofing.



W. F. McKAY.

PREPARED ROOFING.

APPLICATION FILED APRJS, 1916.

1 ,21 9,652. Patented Mar. '20, 1917.

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WILLIAMF; MCKAY, 0F LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS.

This class of building material though generally termed prepared roofing and in-A tended prilnarily for the covering of roofs is equallyv well adapted for use as siding and in other places where a weather-proof covering is desired.

The appearance of the common form of un-ornamented prepared roofing, particularly when applied to large surfaces, is distinctly unpleasant to the eyeof one accustomed to the appearance of .regular roofs of shingles, slate, tile, etc. In an attempt to overcome this drawback which to most observers gives to a building an appearance of eheapness and temporariness, many expedients have been devised. Thus for example, roofing strips y' are sometimes serrated along one edge to simulate when laid in overlapping courses the appearance of a tile or shingle roof. Contrasting colors of comminuted slate or stone surfacing applied in spaced tessellac or patterns on the plastic covering of the roofing material, have also been en'lployed in an effort to imitate the appearance of a regular roof. The chief difficulty, however, lies in the fact that regular roofs are built up of elements having a thickness greater than is commercially practical in the manufacture ofprepared roofing. This actual, physical thick material casts shadows difficult to imitate, though I have succeeded to a very satisfactory degree in giving to the shingle or "tile patterns of prepared roofing an artificial appearance of depth or shading, by the employment of the method disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 656,613 filed December 7th,

1915 in which a fictitious or illusory shadow value` is given by the graduated blending or-A merging of a lighter color layer or surface material into the darker plastic main layer whereby the coordination of the resultant illusory deep shadow areas and shadow blends with the physical elevation and de- Speccation of Letters Patent. y

Patented Mar. 20, ilvl,

Application filed April 18, 1916. Serial No. 91,878.

pressions of the prepared roofing surface attains to a considerable extent the optical illusion of depth or relief greatly exceeding the physical depth of the material.

As heretofore stated, the chief difficulty in giving an illusory appearance of a regu- -lar roof to a roof made of prepared roofing has been thatfrom its very nature the roofing material must be comparatively thin and therefore lacks the depth of material inherent in ordinary shingles, tiles, etc. It is essential from a practical commercial standpoint that all prepared roofing, Whether in sheet form, slabs or strips must be relatively thin for the obvious reasons'affecting the cost of production, the nature of the base layer, which is usually felt, the Weight, shipping expense, ability to roll, facility of laying, etc., that give commercial value to the prepared roofing. As aresult, no exposed edge or relief that is presented in the prepared roofing structure as laid, in overlapping courses can have in practice, depth sufficient to truly simulate the most copied form of ordinary shingled or tile roofs. If the material was made of suflicient thickness to give this impression, there would then be sacrificed the very advantages that chiefly give commercial value to prepared roofing.

The principal object of my invention is lto give to prepared roofing an actual 0r physical depth at such points as would in sions or furroWs extending approximately to the surface of the backing material or base, and the edges bounding the depressedv portions extending above the major surface of the coating and being ridged or rolled up in humps thus giving to this selected area an actual physical depth greater than the depth of the plastic coating at other places.

This physical depth may, to some extent, be

enhanced b-y the submersion of the comminuted covering material at the base of the selected area in the plastic coating, thus giving greater prominence to the darker plastic coatlng as compared to the contrasting lighter color of the surfacing material.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated the invention for the purpose of full disclosure I have shown a few preferred forms of roof simulationsthough it will be understood that in so 'doingthere is no intention to limit my invention to those few selected exemplifications.

Further I have, of course, not attempted tol develop the drawings in exact -proportion but `ave conventionally accentuated or de-` creased sizes, angles, etc., in some instances,

for clearness of illustration.

In the drawings: .Y v

Figure 1 represents in plan view a laid roong embodying my invention and bearing a multiplied pattern f representing shingles, of the usual rectangular form.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified form in which the`roofhas notches cut in its edges to more nearly simulate tile appearance.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3*?) of Fig'.4 2, and;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional'view on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1. y

Referring to the drawings the numeral 10 indicates the base or foundation layer upon which the ,plastic material is applied. This foundation ,is preferably a sheet of roofing felt, suitably impregnated with water-proof.- ing material, though it may obviously 'be .made of any other tough, flexible material,

having kcharacteristics with respect to its adaptability as a roofing material similar to felt and. paper. Applied to the surface of the base on selected areas is a thick plastic layer 11 of a suitable weather-resisting comound, such asy asphalt or other material which will stick to the base and provide, particularly when warm, a tacky surface upon which will stick the layer 12 of comminuted grit.. This latter coating or layer 12 is usually la 'granulated mineral, slate or sandstone, different colors being employed for simulation of different types of roofing.

1n the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1

and 2, the prepared roofing may be in either strip or slab form, having the surfacing of plastic material and grit'extending from the free exposed edge 13 to a line 14 adapted to underlie slightly the exposed edge of the next succeeding course. At suitable intervals 1l havel provided transverse furrows or kerfs 15 in the layer of plastic material and grit, the bottom 16 of the furrow lying close to the upper surface of the base 10. At each side of the furrows 15 there is formed a I ridge 17 of plastic material and grit raised a distance considerably above the surrounding Avsurface 18 whichis the normal upper surface of the grit. This ridge 17 flanking each side of the furrow l16 gives to the same an actual or physical depth' lconsiderably greater than if it were al depression the side of which terminated on a level with the sur'- face 18. This furrow or kerf l5 extends l from the free edge 13 of the layer to a short distance from the inner edge 14 of the plastic strip, and when the superposed strip-is laid upon the lower one its lower or exposed edge y' overl-ies the upper portion of the plastic material -so as to come in approximate aline- Ament with .the upper ends of the kerfs 15.

To further accentuate the depth of the shingles it may be found advisable in some instances to form ridges similar to ridges 17 along the projecting edge 13 asat 2O and on a parallel line along the upper ends-of kerf 15 asat 21.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 2,

ynotches 19 arecut in the exposed edge of the material at the lower ends of the kerfs 15 thus giving a somewhat different ornamental effect to the roofing, simulating more nearly the eifect .of tiling.

From the above it will be obvious that the depressions formed atregular intervals eX- tend through the plastic material to adepth slightly less than the' depth of the plastic material throughout its major portion and Y the formation of the ridges4 bordering the depressions or kerfs give an actual depth to the kerf in excess of the depth' of the plastic material throughout its major portion. As a result the total actual depth of the kerf is effective in forming shadows simulating the shadows caused by the uneven surface of regular roofs. In the particular forms illustrated the shadows simulate the interstices formed by the usual manner of laying shingles or tiles in spaced relation.

Obviously many other embodiments oflmy I shadows simulating the shadows caused by' the uneven surface of regular roofs. v

2. As an article of manufacture, a pre-,l

pared roofing material comprising, -a base layer, a layer ofplastic material adhering therein, and a ridge of plastic material borthereto and having a depression/,formed dering the depression and projecting above the surface of the. surrounding plastic material. l

3. As an article of manufacture, a prepared roofing material comprising a base layer and asuperimposed layer of plastic v material havingdepressions formed therein,

thethickness of the plastic material in the `regionbordering the depressions being @greater than in other regions outside the depressions. l f

4. As an article of manufacture, a prerial, a layer of grit a dhering to the plastic pared roofing material comprising a base layer, a superposed layer of plastic weather resisting material, a coating of comminuted material adhering to the plastic material, the material superposed upon the base layer having depressions formed therein in regular pattern to simulate when laid the interstices between the shingles orftiles of a regular roof, and ridges formed of the aforesaid plastic material and comminuted material bordering the depressions to create an impression of greater thickness to the areas lying outside of the depressions.

5. As an article -of manufacture,A a prepared roofing material comprising a base layer, a superposed layer of plastic material having a kerf formed therein to a depth slightly less than the depth of the plastic material throughout its major portions, and ridges of plastic material bordering the kerf to create an impression of greater thickness tothe areas lying outside of the depressions.

6. As an article of manufacture, a prepared roofing material comprising a base layer, a layer of superposed plastic matematerial, said layer of grit and plastic materials having kerfs formed therein to a depth slightly less than the depth of the plastic material throughout its major portion, said kerfs extending from the. free edge of the materialacros's that portion of the strip is laid, a layer of grit overlying theV plastic material, and kerfs formed in regular pattern in the plastic material and its superposed coating of grit, extending from the free exposed edge a distance less than the width of the coated area and ridges of plas.

tic material bordering the depressions and projecting above the surface of the plastic layer.

8. As an article of manufacture, a pre! pared rooting material comprising a base layer, a layer of superposed plastic material, and ridges formed of the plastic material in a regular pattern to simulate the juncture only which is exposed when laid,

lines ofshingles or the like in a regular roof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the Witnesses.

' WILLIAM F.' MCKAY.

In the presence of- STANLEY `W. COOK, MARY G. ALLEN.

presence of two ,subscribing 

